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Sunday, June 26, 2011

Banned Classics

Banned & Challenged Classics

1. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

3. The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck

4. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee

5. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker

6. Ulysses, by James Joyce

7. Beloved, by Toni Morrison

8. The Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

9. 1984, by George Orwell

11. Lolita, by Vladmir Nabokov

12. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

15. Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

16. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

17. Animal Farm, by George Orwell

18. The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway

19. As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner

20. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway

23. Their Eyes Were Watching God, by Zora Neale Hurston

24. Invisible Man, by Ralph Ellison

25. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison

26. Gone with the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell

27. Native Son, by Richard Wright

28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey

29. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

30. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway

33. The Call of the Wild, by Jack London

36. Go Tell it on the Mountain, by James Baldwin

38. All the King's Men, by Robert Penn Warren

40. The Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien

45. The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair

48. Lady Chatterley's Lover, by D.H. Lawrence

49. A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess

50. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin

53. In Cold Blood, by Truman Capote

55. The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie

57. Sophie's Choice, by William Styron

64. Sons and Lovers, by D.H. Lawrence

66. Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut

67. A Separate Peace, by John Knowles

73. Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs

74. Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh

75. Women in Love, by D.H. Lawrence

80. The Naked and the Dead, by Norman Mailer

84. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller

88. An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser

97. Rabbit, Run, by John Updike

Banned and/or Challenged Books from

Radcliffe Publishing Course

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

Challenged at the Baptist College in Charleston, SC (1987) because of “language and sexual references in the book.”

The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger

Since its publication, this title has been a favorite target of
censors. In 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, Okla. was fired for assigning the
book to an eleventh grade English class.The teacher appealed and was
reinstated by the school board, but the book was removed from use in the
school. In 1963, a delegation of parents of high school students in
Columbus, Ohio, asked the school board to ban the novel for being “anti
white” and “obscene.” The school board refused the request. Removed from
the Selinsgrove, Pa. suggested reading list (1975). Based on parents’
objections to the language and content of the book, the school board
voted 5 4 to ban the book.The book was later reinstated in the
curriculum when the board learned that the vote was illegal because they
needed a two thirds vote for removal of the text. Challenged as an
assignment in an American literature class in Pittsgrove, NJ. (1977).
After months of controversy, the board ruled that the novel could be
read in the advanced placement class, but they gave parents the right to
decide whether or not their children would read it. Removed from the
Issaquah,Wash. Optional High School reading list (1978). Removed from
the required reading list in Middleville, Mich. (1979). Removed from the
Jackson Milton school libraries in North Jackson, Ohio (1980). Removed
from two Anniston, Ala. high school libraries (1982), but later
reinstated on a restrictive basis. Removed from the school libraries in
Morris, Manitoba (1982) along with two other books because they violate
the committee’s guidelines covering “excess vulgar language, sexual
scenes, things concerning moral issues, excessive violence, and anything
dealing with the occult:” Challenged at the Libby, Mont. High School
(1983) due to the “book’s contents:” Challenged, but retained for use in
select English classes at New Richmond, Wis. (1994). Banned from
English classes at the Freeport High School in De Funiak Springs, Fla.
(1985) because it is “unacceptable” and “obscene.” Removed from the
required reading list of a Medicine Bow, Wyo. Senior High School English
class (1986) because of sexual references and profanity in the book.
Banned from a required sophomore English reading list at the Napoleon,
N.Dak. High School (1987) after parents and the local Knights of
Columbus chapter complained about its profanity and sexual references.
Challenged at the Linton Stockton, Ind. High School (1988) because the
book is “blasphemous and undermines morality.” Banned from the
classrooms in Boron, Calif High School (1989) because the book contains
profanity. Challenged at the GraysIaKe, III. Community High School
(1991). Challenged at the Jamaica High School in Sidell, III. (1992)
because the book container profanities and depicted premarital sex,
alcohol abuse, and prostitution. Challenged in the Waterloo, Iowa
schools (1992) and Duval County, Fla. public school libraries (1992)
because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements
defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled. ‘Challenged at
the Cumberland Valley Nigh School in Carlisle, Pa. (1992) because of a
parent’s objections that it contains profanity and is immoral.
Challenged, but retained, at the New Richmond, Wis. High School (1994)
for use in some English classes. Challenged as required reading in the
Corona Norco, Calif. Unified School District (1993) because it is
“centered around negative activity. “The book was retained and teachers
selected alternatives if students object to Salinger’s novel. Challenged
as mandatory reading in the Goffstown, N.H. schools (1994) because of
the vulgar words used and the sexual exploits experienced in the book.
Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, Fla.
(1995). Challenged at the Oxford Hills High School in Paris, Maine
(1996). A parent objected to the use of the ‘F’ word:’ Challenged, but
retained, at the Glynn Academy High School in Brunswick, Ga. (1997). A
student objected to the novel’s profanity and sexual references. Removed
because of profanity and sexual situations from the required reading
curriculum of the Marysville, Calif Joint Unified School District
(1997). The school superintendent removed it to get it “out of the way
so that we didn’t have that polarization over a book.” Challenged, but
retained on the shelves of Limestone County, Ala. school district (2000)
despite objections about the book’s foul language. Banned, but later
reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in
Savannah, Ga. (2000). The controversy began in early 1999 when a parent
complained about sex, violence, and profanity in the book that was part
of an advanced placement English class. Removed by a Dorchester
District 2 school board member in Summerville, SC (2001) because it “is a
filthy, filthy book.” Challenged by a Glynn County, Ga. (2001) school
board member because of profanity. The novel was retained. Source: “100
Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature,” By Nicholas
Karolides. pp. 366 68; Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Nov. 1978, p.
138; Jan. 1980, pp. 6 7; May 1980, p. 5 I ; Mar. 1983, pp. 37 38; July
1983, p. 122; July 1985, p. I 13; Mar. 1987, p. 55; July 1988, p. 123;
Jan. 1988, p. 10; Sept. 1988, p. 177; Nov. 1989, pp. 218 19; July 1991,
pp. 129 30; May 1992, p. 83;July I 992, pp. I 05, I 26; Jan. I 993, p.
29; Jan. I 994, p. 14, Mar. 1994, pp. 56, 70; May 1994, p. 100; Jan. I
995, p. I 2; Jan. I 996, p. I 4; Nov. I 996, p. 212; May 1997, p. 78;
July 1997, p. 96; May 2000, P. 91; July 2000, p. 123; Mar. 2001, p. 76;
Nov. 2001, pp. 246-47, 277-78.

The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck

Burned by the East St. Louis, III. Public Library (1939) and barred
from the Buffalo, N.Y Public Library (1939) on the grounds that “vulgar
words” were used. Banned in Kansas City, Mo. (1939); Kern County Calif,
the scene of Steinbeck’s novel, (1939); Ireland ( 1953); Kanawha, Iowa
High School classes (1980); and Morris, Manitoba (1982). On Feb. 21,
1973, eleven Turkish book publishers went on trial before an Istanbul
martial law tribunal on charges of publishing, possessing and selling
books in violation of an order of the Istanbul martial law command. They
faced possible sentences of between one month’s and six months’
imprisonment “for spreading propaganda unfavorable to the state” and the
confiscation of their books. Eight booksellers were also on trial with
the publishers on the same charge involving the Gropes of Wroth.
Challenged in Vernon Verona Sherill, N.Y School District ( I 980);
challenged as required reading for Richford,Vt. (1981) High School
English students due to the book’s language and portrayal of a former
minister who recounts how he took advantage of a young woman. Removed
from two Anniston, Ala. high school libraries (1982), but later
reinstated on a restrictive basis. Challenged at the Cummings High
School in Burlington, N.C. (1986) as an optional reading assignment
because the “book is full of filth. My son is being raised in a
Christian home and this book takes the Lord’s name in vain and has all
kinds of profanity in it.” Although the parent spoke to the press, a
formal complaint with the school demanding the book’s removal was not
filed. Challenged at the Moore County school system in Carthage, N.C. (I
986) because the book contains the phase “God damn:” Challenged in the
Greenville, S.C. schools (199 I) because the book uses the name of God
and Jesus in a “vain and profane manner along with inappropriate sexual
references.” Challenged in the Union City Tenn. High School classes
(1993). Source: 2000 BBW Resource Guide.

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Challenged in Eden Valley, Minn. (1977) and temporarily banned due to
words “damn” and “whore lady” used in the novel. Challenged in the
Vernon Verona Sherill, N.Y School District (1980) as a “filthy, trashy
novel:” Challenged at the Warren, Ind.Township schools (1981) because
the book does “psychological damage to the positive integration process ”
and “represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good
literature:” After unsuccessfully banning Lee’s novel, three black
parents resigned from the township human relations advisory council.
Challenged in the Waukegan, III. School District (1984) because the
novel uses the word “nigger.” Challenged in the Kansas City, Mo. junior
high schools (1985). Challenged at the Park Hill, Mo. Junior High School
(1985) because the novel “contains profanity and racial slurs:”
Retained on a supplemental eighth grade reading list in the Casa Grande,
Ariz. Elementary School District (1985), despite the protests by black
parents and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored
People who charged the book was unfit for junior high use. Challenged at
the Santa Cruz, Calif. Schools (1995) because of its racial themes.
Removed from the Southwood High School Library in Caddo Parish, La.
(1995) because the book’s language and content were objectionable.
Challenged at the Moss Point, Miss. School District (1996) because the
novel contains a racial epithet. Banned from the Lindale,Tex. advanced
placement English reading list (1996) because the book “conflicted with
the values of the community.” Challenged by a Glynn County, Ga. (2001)
school board member because of profanity. The novel was retained.
Returned to the freshman reading list at Muskogee, Okla. High School
(2001) despite complaints over the years from black students and parents
about racial slurs in the text. Challenged in the Normal, ILL Community
High Schools sophomore literature class (2003) as being degrading to
African Americans. Challenged at the Stanford Middle School in Durham,
N.C. (2004) because the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel uses the word
“nigger.” Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide.

The Color Purple, Alice Walker

Challenged as appropriate reading for Oakland, Calif. High School
honors class (1984) due to the work’s “sexual and social explicitness”
and its “troubling ideas about race relations, man’s relationship to
God, African history and human sexuality.” After nine months of haggling
and delays, a divided Oakland Board of Education gave formal approval
for the book’s use. Rejected for purchase by the Hayward, Calif. schools
trustee (1985) because of “rough language” and “explicit sex scenes.”
Removed from the open shelves of the Newport News, Va. school library
(1986) because of its “profanity and sexual references” and placed in a
special section accessible only to students over the age of 18 or who
have written permission from a parent. Challenged at the public
libraries of Saginaw, Mich. (1989) because of its language and
“explicitness.” Challenged as an optional reading assigned in Ten Sleep,
Wyo. schools (1990). Challenged as a reading assignment at the New
Burn, N.C. High School (1992) because the main character is raped by her
stepfather. Banned in the Souderton, Pa. Area School District (1992) as
appropriate reading for 10th graders because it is “smut.” Challenged
on the curricular reading list at Pomperaug High School in Southbury,
Conn. (1995) because sexually explicit passages are appropriate high
school reading. Retained as an English course reading assignment in the
Junction City, Oreg. high school (1995) after a challenge to Walker’s
Pulitzer Prize-winning novel caused months of controversy. Although an
alternative assignment was available, the book was challenged due to
“inappropriate language, graphic sexual scenes, and book’s negative
image of black men.” Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St.
Augustine, Fla. (1995). Retained on the Round Rock, Tex. Independent
High School reading list (1996) after a challenge that the book was too
violent. Challenged, but retained, as part of the reading list for
Advanced Placement English classes at Northwest High Schools in High
Point, N.C. (1996). The book was challenged because it is “sexually
graphic and violent.” Removed from the Jackson County, W. Va. school
libraries (1997) along with sixteen other titles. Challenged, but
retained as part of a supplemental reading list at the Shawnee School in
Lima, Ohio (1999). Several parents described its content as vulgar and
“X-rated.” Removed from the Ferguson High School library in Newport
News, Va. (1999). Students may request and borrow the book with parental
approval. Challenged, along with seventeen other titles in the Fairfax
County, VA elementary and secondary libraries (2002), by a group called
Parents Against Bad Books in Schools. The group contends the books
“contain profanity and descriptions of drug abuse, sexually explicit
conduct, and torture. Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide, by
Robert P. Doyle.

Ulysses, James Joyce

Beloved, Toni Morrison

Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL
(1995). Retained on the Round Rock, Texas Independent High School
reading list (1996) after a challenge that the book was too violent.
Challenged by a member of the Madawaska, Maine School Committee (1997)
because of the book’s language. The 1987 Pulitzer Prize winning novel
has been required reading for the advanced placement English class for
six years. Challenged in the Sarasota County, Florida schools (1998)
because of sexual material. Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom.
Jan. 1996, p. 14; May 1996, p. 99; Han. 1998, p. 14; July 1998, p. 120.

The Lord of the Flies, William Golding

Challenged at the Dallas, TX. Independent School District high school
libraries (1974); challenged at the Sully Buttes, S. Dak. High School
(1981); challenged at the Owen, N.C. High School (1981) because the book
is “demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an
animal”; challenged at the Marana, Ariz. High School (1983) as an
inappropriate reading assignment. Challenged at the Olney, Tex.
Independent School District (1984) because of “excessive violence and
bad language.” A committee of the Toronto, Canada Board of Education
ruled on June 23, 1988, that the novel is “racist and recommended that
it be removed from all schools.” Parents and members of the black
community complained about a reference to “niggers” in the book and said
it denigrates blacks. Challenged in the Waterloo, Iowa schools (1992)
because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements
defamatory to minorities, God, women and the disabled. Challenged, but
retained on the ninth-grade accelerated English reading list in
Bloomfield, N.Y. (2000). From Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom: an.
1975, p. 6; July, 1981, p. 103; Jan. 1982, p. 17; Jan, 1984, p. 25-26;
July 1984, p. 122; Sept. 1988, p. 152; July 1992, p. 126; Mar. 2000, p.
64.

1984, George Orwell

Lolita, Vladmir Nabokov

Banned as obscene in France (1956-1959), in England (1955-59), in
Argentina (1959), and in New Zealand (1960). The South African
Directorate of Publications announced on November 27, 1982, that Lolita
has been taken off the banned list, eight years after a request for
permission to market the novel in paperback has been refused.

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

Banned in Ireland (1953); Syracuse, Ind. (1974); Oil City, Pa. (I
977); Grand Blanc, Mich. (1979); Continental, Ohio (1980) and other
communities. Challenged in Greenville, S.C. (1977) by the Fourth
Province of the Knights of the Ku Klux KIan;VernonVerona Sherill, N.Y
School District (1980); St. David, Ariz. (1981) and Tell City, Ind.
(1982) due to “profanity and using God’s name in vain:” Banned from
classroom use at the Scottsboro, Ala. Skyline High School (1983) due to
“profanity.” The Knoxville, Tenn. School Board chairman vowed to have
“filthy books” removed from Knoxville’s public schools (1984) and picked
Steinbeck’s novel as the first target due to “its vulgar language:”
Reinstated at the Christian County, Ky. school libraries and English
classes (1987) after being challenged as vulgar and offensive.
Challenged in the Marion County, WVa. schools (1988), at the Wheaton
Warrenville, III. Middle School (1988), and at the Berrien Springs,
Mich. High School (1988) because the book contains profanity. Removed
from the Northside High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (1989) because the
book “has profane use of God’s name.” Challenged as a summer youth
program reading assignment in Chattanooga, Tenn. (1989) because
“Steinbeck is known to have had an anti business attitude:” In addition,
“he was very questionable as to his patriotism:’ Removed from all
reading lists and collected at the White Chapel High School in Pine
Bluff, Ark (1989) because of objections to language. Challenged as
appropriate for high school reading lists in the Shelby County, Tenn.
school system (1989) because the novel contained “offensive language.”
Challenged, but retained in a Salinas, Kans. (1990) tenth grade English
class despite concerns that it contained “profanity” and “takes the
Lord’s name in vain.” Challenged by a Fresno, Calif (1991) parent as a
tenth grade English college preparatory curriculum assignment, citing
“profanity” and “racial slurs.” The book was retained, and the child of
the objecting parent was provided with an alternative reading
assignment. Challenged in the Riveria, Tex. schools (1990) because it
contains profanity. Challenged as curriculum material at the Ringgold
High School in Carroll Township, Pa. (1991) because the novel contains
terminology offensive to blacks. Removed and later returned to the
Suwannee, Fla. High School library (1991) because the book is “indecent”
Challenged at the Jacksboro, Tenn. High School (1991) because the novel
contains “blasphemous” language, excessive cursing, and sexual
overtones. Challenged as required reading in the Buckingham County, Va.
schools (1991) because of profanity. In 1992 a coalition of community
members and clergy in Mobile, Ala., requested that local school
officials form a special textbook screening committee to “weed out
objectionable things:” Steinbeck’s novel was the first target because it
contained “profanity” and “morbid and depressing themes: ‘Temporarily
removed from the Hamilton, Ohio High School reading list (1992) after a
parent complained about its vulgarity and racial slurs. Challenged in
the Waterloo, Iowa schools (1992) and the Duval County, Fla. public
school libraries (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex,
and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled.
Challenged at the Modesto, Calif. High School as recommended reading
(1992) because of “offensive and racist language.” The word “nigger”
appears in the book. Challenged at the Oak Hill High School in
Alexandria, La. (1992) because of profanity. Challenged as an
appropriate English curriculum assignment at the Mingus, Ariz.Union High
School (1993) because of “profane language, moral statement, treatment
of the retarded, and the violent ending.” Pulled from a classroom by
Putnam County, Tenn. school superintendent (1994) “due to the language:’
Later, after discussions with the school district counsel, it was
reinstated. The book was challenged in the Loganville, Ga. High School
(1994) because of its “vulgar language throughout” Challenged in the
Galena, Kans. school library (1995) because of the book’s language and
social implications. Retained in the Bemidji, Minn. schools (1995) after
challenges to the book’s “objectionable” language. Challenged at the
Stephens County High School library in Toccoa, Ga. (I 995) because of
“curse words: ‘The book was retained. Challenged, but retained in a Warm
Springs, VA. High School (1995) English class. Banned from the
Washington Junior High School curriculum in Peru, III. (1997) because it
was deemed “age inappropriate:” Challenged, but retained, in the
Louisville, Ohio high school English classes (1997) because of
profanity. Removed, restored, restricted, and eventually retained at the
Bay County schools in Panama City, Fla. (1997). A citizen group, the
100 Black United, Inc., requested the novel’s removal and “any other
inadmissible literary books that have racial slurs in them, such as the
using of the word ‘Nigger: ” Challenged as a reading list assignment for
a ninth grade literature class, but retained at the Sauk Rapids Rice
High School in St. Cloud, Minn. (1997). A parent complained that the
book’s use of racist language led to racist behavior and racial
harassment. Challenged in O’Hara Park Middle School classrooms in
Oakley, Calif. (1998) because it contains racial epithets. Challenged,
but retained, in the Bryant, Ark. school library (1998) because of a
parent’s complaint that the book “takes God’s name in vain 15 times and
uses Jesus’s name lightly.” Challenged at the Barron, Wis. School
District (1998). Challenged, but retained in the sophomore curriculum at
West Middlesex, Pa. High School (1999) despite objections to the
novel’s profanity. Challenged in the Tomah, Wis. School District (1999)
because the novel is violent and contains obscenities. Challenged as
required reading at the high school in Grandville, Mich. (2002) because
the book “is full of racism, profanity, and foul language.” Banned from
the George County, Miss. schools (2002) because of profanity. Challenged
in the Normal, Ill. Community High Schools (2003) because the books
contains “racial slurs, profanity, violence, and does not represent
traditional values.” An alternative book, Steinbeck’s The Pearl, was
offered but rejected by the family challenging the novel. Source: 2004
Banned Books Resource Guide, by Robert P. Doyle.

Catch-22, Joseph Heller

Banned in Strongsville, Ohio (1972), but the school board’s action
was overturned in 1976 by a U.S. District Court in Minarcini v.
Strongsville City School District. Challenged at the Dallas, Tex.
Independent School District high school libraries (1974); in Snoqualmie,
Wash. (1979) because of its several references to “whores.” 2004 Banned
Books Resource Guide, Robert P. Doyle.

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley

Banned in Ireland (1932). Removed from classroom in Miller, MO
(1980), because it made promiscuous sex “look like fun” and challenged
frequently throughout the U.S. Challenged as required reading at the
Yukon, Oklahoma High School (1988) because of “the book’s language and
moral content.” Challenged as required reading in the Corona-Norco,
California Unified School District (1993) because it is “centered around
negative activity.” Specifically, parents objected that the characters’
sexual behavior directly opposed the health curriculum, which taught
sexual abstinence until marriage. The book was retained, and teachers
selected alternatives if students object to Huxley’s novel. Brave New
World was again challenged in Foley, Alabama (2000) because of the
depictions of “orgies, self-flogging, suicide” and characters who show
“contempt for religion, marriage, and the family.” The book was removed
from the library, pending review. Source: 2001 Banned Books Resource
Guide.

The Sun Also Rises, Ernest Hemingway

As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner

Banned in the Graves County School District in Mayfield, KY (1986)
because it contained “offensive and obscene passages referring to
abortion and used God’s name in vain.” The decision was reversed a week
later after intense pressure from the ACLU and considerable negative
publicity. Challenged as a required reading assignment in an advanced
English class of Pulaski County High School in Somerset, KY (1987)
because the book contains “profanity and a segment about masturbation.”
Challenged, but retained, in the Carroll County, MD schools (1991). Two
school board members were concerned about the book’s coarse language and
dialect. Banned at Central High School in Louisville, KY (1994)
temporarily because the book uses profanity and questions the existence
of God. Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway

The June 1929 issue of Scribner’s Magazine, which ran Hemingway’s
novel, was banned in Boston, Mass. (1929). Banned in Italy (1929)
because of its painfully accurate account of the Italian retreat from
Caporetto, Italy; banned in Ireland (1939); challenges at the Dallas,
TX. Independent School District high school libraries (1974); challenges
at the Vernon-Verona-Sherill, N.Y. School District (1980) as a “sex
novel; burned by the Nazis in Germany (1933). Source: 2004 Banned Books
Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad

Their Eyes were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston

Challenged for sexual explicitness, but retained on the Stonewall
Jackson High School’s academically advanced reading list in Brentsville,
VA (1997). A parent objected to the novel’s language and sexual
explicitness.

Invisible Man, Ralph Ellison

Excerpts banned in Butler, PA (1975); removed from the high school
English reading list in St. Francis, WI (1975). Retained in the Yakima,
WA schools (1994) after a five-month dispute over what advanced high
school students should read in the classroom. Two parents raised
concerns about profanity and images of violence and sexuality in the
book and requested that it be removed from the reading list.

Song of Solomon, Toni Morrison

Challenged, but retained, in the Columbus, Ohio schools (1993). The
complainant believed that the book contains language degrading to
blacks, and is sexually explicit. Removed from required reading lists
and library shelves in the Richmond County, GA. School District (1994)
after a parent complained that passages from the book were “filthy and
inappropriate.” Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St.
Augustine, Fla. (1995). Removed from the St. Mary’s County, Md. schools’
approved text list (1998) by the superintendent overruling a faculty
committee recommendation. Complainants referred to the novel as “filth,”
“trash,” and “repulsive.” Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by
Robert P. Doyle.

Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell

Banned from Anaheim, Calif. Union High School District English
classrooms (9178) according to the Anaheim Secondary Teachers
Association. Challenged in Waukegan, Ill. School District (1984) because
the novel uses the word “nigger.” Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource
Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

Native Son, Richard Wright

Challenged in Goffstown, N.H. (1978); Elmwood Park, N.J. (1978) due
to “objectionable” language; and North Adams, Mass. (1981) due to the
book’s “violence, sex, and profanity.” Challenged at the Berrian
Springs, Mich. High School in classrooms and libraries (1988) because
the novel is “vulgar, profane, and sexually explicit.” Retained in the
Yakima, Wash. schools (1994) after a five-month dispute over what
advanced high school students should read in the classroom. Two parents
raised concerns about profanity and images of violence and sexuality in
the book and requested that it be removed from the reading list.
Challenged as part of the reading list for Advanced Placement English
classes at Northwest High School in High Point, N.C. (1996). The book
was challenged because it is “sexually graphic and violent.” Removed
from Irvington High School in Fremont, Calif. (1998) after a few parents
complained the book was unnecessarily violence and sexually explicit.
Challenged in the Hamilton High School curriculum in Fort Wayne, Ind.
(1998) because of the novel’s graphic language and sexual content.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey

Challenged in the Greenley, Colorado public school district (1971) as
a non-required American Culture reading. In 1974, five residents of
Strongsville, Ohio, sued the board of education to remove the novel.
Labeling it “pornographic,” they charged the novel “glofiries criminal
activity, has a tendency to corrupt juveniles and contains descriptions
of bestiality, bizarre violence, and torture, dismemberment, death, and
human elimination.” Removed from public school libraries in Randolph,
NY, and Alton, OK (1975). Removed from the required reading list in
Westport, MA (1977). Banned from the St. Anthony, Idaho Freemont High
School classrooms (1978) and the instructor fired¾Fogarty v. Atchley.
Challenged at the Merrimack, N.H. High School (1982). Challenged as part
of the curriculum in an Aberdeen, Washington High School honors English
class (1986) because the book promotes “secular humanism.” The school
board voted to retain the title. Challenged at the Placentia-Yorba
Linda, California Unified School District (2000) after complaints by
parents stated that teachers “can choose the best books, but they keep
choosing this garbage over and over again.” Source: 2004 Banned Books
Resource Guide, by Robert P. Doyle.

Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut

Challenged in many communities, but burned in Drake, N. Dak (1973).
Banned in Rochester, Mich. because the novel “contains and makes
references to religious matters” and thus fell within the ban of the
establishment clause. An appellate court upheld its usage in the school
in Todd v Rochester Community Schools, 41 Mich. App. 320, 200 N. W 2d 90
(I 972). Banned in Levittown, N.Y (1975), North Jackson, Ohio (1979),
and Lakeland, Fla. (1982) because of the “book’s explicit sexual scenes,
violence, and obscene language.” Barred from purchase at the Washington
Park High School in Racine, Wis. (I 984) by the district administrative
assistant for instructional services. Challenged at the Owensboro, Ky.
High School library (1985) because of “foul language, a section
depicting a picture of an act of bestiality, a reference to ‘Magic
Fingers’ attached to the protagonist’s bed to help him sleep, and the
sentence: ‘The gun made a ripping sound like the opening of the fly of
God Almighty.”‘ Restricted to students who have parental permission at
the four Racine, Wis. Unified District high school libraries (1986)
because of “language used in the book depictions of torture, ethnic
slurs, and negative portrayals of women:’ Challenged at the LaRue
County, Ky. High School library (1987) because “the book contains foul
language and promotes deviant sexual behavior’ Banned from the
Fitzgerald, Ga. schools (I 987) because A was filled with profanity and
full of explicit sexual references:’ Challenged in the Baton Rouge, La.
public high school libraries ( 1988) because the book is “vulgar and
offensive:’ Challenged in the Monroe, Mich. public schools (I 989) as
required reading in a modem novel course for high school juniors and
senior because of the book’s language and the way women are portrayed.
Retained on the Round Rock, Tex. Independent High School reading list
(1996) after a challenge that the book was too violent. Challenged as an
eleventh grade summer reading option in Prince William County, Va (
1998) because the book “was rife with profanity and explicit sex:”
Source: 5, pp. I 37 42; 8, Jan. 1974, p. 4; May 1980, p. 5 I ; Sept.
1982, p. 155; Nov. 1982, p. 197; Sept. 1984, p. 158; Jan. 1986, pp. 9
10; Mar. 1986, p. 57; Mar. 1987, p. 5 I ; July 1987, p. 147; Sept. 1987,
pp. 174 75; Nov. 1987, p. 224; May 1988, p. 86; July 1988, pp. I 39 40;
July 1989, p. 144, May 1996, p. 99; 9, pp. 78 79; Nov. 1998, p. 183.

For Whom the Bell Tolls, Ernest Hemingway

Scribner. Declared non-mailable by the U.S. Post Office (1940). On
Feb. 21, 1973, eleven Turkish book publishers went on trial before an
Istanbul martial law tribunal on charges of publishing, possessing, and
selling books in violation of an order of the Istanbul martial law
command. They faced possible sentences of between one month’s and six
month’s imprisonment “for spreading propaganda unfavorable to the state”
and the confiscation of their books. Eight booksellers also were on
trial with the publishers on the same charge involving For Whom the Bell
Tolls. Source: Haight, Anne Lyon, and Chandler B. Grannis. Banned
Books, 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D., 4th ed. New York, N.Y.: Bowker Co., 1978
(p. 80); Index on Censorship. London: Writers and Scholars
International, Ltd., published bimonthly, Summer 1973, xii.

The Call of the Wild, Jack London

Go Tell it on the Mountain, James Baldwin

Challenged as required reading in the Hudson Falls, N.Y. schools
(1994) because the book has recurring themes of rape, masturbation,
violence, and degrading treatment of women. Challenged as a ninth-grade
summer reading option in Prince William County, Va. (1988) because the
book was “rife with profanity and explicit sex.” Source: 2004 Banned
Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

All the King’s Men, Robert Penn Warren

Challenged at the Dallas, Tex. Independent School District high
school libraries. Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, Jan. 1975, p. 6-7.

The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien

Burned in Alamagordo, N. Mex. (2001) outside Christ Community Church
along with other Tolkien novels as satanic. Source: Newsletter on
Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2002, p. 61.

The Jungle, Upton Sinclair

Banned from public libraries in Yugoslavia (1929). Burned in the Nazi
bonfires because of Sinclair’s socialist views (1933). Banned in East
Germany (1956) as inimical to communism. Banned in South Korea (1985).
Sources: Banned Books, 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D., 4th edition; Anne Lyon
Haight and Chandler B. Grannis. Index on Censorship.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover, DH Lawrence

A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess

In 1973 a book seller in Orem, Utah, was arrested to selling the
novel. Charges were later dropped, but the book seller as forced to
close the store and relocate to another city. Removed from Aurora, Colo.
high school (1976) due to “objectionable” language and from high school
classrooms in Westport, Mass. (1977) because of “objectionable”
language. Removed from two Anniston, Ala. High school libraries (1982),
but later reinstated on a restricted basis. Source: 2004 Banned Books
Resource Guide, ed. Robert P. Doyle.

In Cold Blood, Truman Capote

Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor
Forest High School in Savannah, Ga. (2000). The controversy began in
early 1999 when a parent complaines about sex, violence, and profanity
in the book that was aprt of an Advanced Placement English Class.
Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie

Banned in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Bangladesh,
Malaysia, Quatar, Indonesia, South Africa, and India because of its
criticism of Islam. Burned in West Yorkshire, England (1989) and
temporarily withdrawn from two bookstores on the advice of police who
took threats to staff and property seriously. In Pakistan five people
died in riots against the book. Another man died a day later in Kashmir.
Ayatollah Khomeni issued a fatwa or religions edict, stating, “I inform
the proud Muslim people of the world that the author of the Satanic
Verses, which is against Islam, the prophet, and the Koran, and all
those involved in its publication who were aware of its content, have
been sentenced to death.”
Challenged at the Wichita, Ks. Public Library (1989) because the book
is “blasphemous to the prophet Mohammed.” In Venezuela, owning or
reading it was declared a crime under penalty of 15 months’
imprisonment. In Japan, the sale of the English-language edition was
banned under the threat of fines. The governments of Bulgaria and Poland
also restricted its distribution. In 1991, in separare inceidents,
Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator, was stabbed to death and its
Italian translator, Ettore Capriolo, was seriously wounded. In 1993
William Nygaard, its Norwegian publisher, was shot and seriously
wounded. Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

Sons and Lovers, DH Lawrence

In 1961 an Oklahoma City group called Mothers United for Decency
hired a trailer, dubbed it “smutmobile,” and displayed books deemed
objectionable, including Lawrence’s novel. Source: 2004 Banned Books
Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

Cat’s Cradle, Kurt Vonnegut

The Strongsville, Ohio School Board (1972) voted to withdraw this
title from the school library; this action was overturned in 1976 by a
U.S. District Court in Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District,
541 F. 2d 577 (6th Cir. 1976). Challenged at Merrimack, NH High School
(1982).

A Separate Peace, John Knowles

Challenged in Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY School District (1980) as a
“filthy, trashy sex novel.” Challenged at the Fannett-Metal High School
in Shippensburg, Pa. (1985) because of its allegedly offensive language.
Challenged as appropriate for high school reading lists in the Shelby
County, Tenn. school system (1989) because the novel contained
“offensive language.” Challenged at the McDowell County, N.C. schools
(1996) because of “graphic language.” Source: Newsletter on Intellectual
Freedom, May 1980, p. 62; Nov. 1985, p. 204; Jan, 1990, pp 11-12; Jan.
1997, p. 11.

Naked Lunch, William S. Burroughs

Found obscene in Boston, Mass. Superior Court (1965). The finding was
reversed bu the State Supreme Court the following year. Source: 2004
Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

Women in Love, DH Lawrence

Seized by John Summers of the New York Society for the Suppression of
vice and declared obscene (1922). Source: 100 Banned Books: Censorship
Histories of World Literature. Nicholas Karalides, Margaret Bald, and
Dawn B. Sova. pp. 331-32; “Banned in Boston,” Randy F. Nelson, in
Almanac of American Letters, p. 142; A History of Books Publishing in
the United States, John Tebbel, Vol III, p. 415.

The Naked and the Dead, Norman Mailer

Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller

Banned from U.S. Customs (1934). The U.S. Supreme Court found the
novel not obscene (1964). Banned in Turkey (1986). Source: 2004 Banned
Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

An American Tragedy, Theodore Dreiser

Banned in Boston, Mass. (1927) and burned by the Nazis in Germany
(1933) because it “deals with low love affairs.” Source: 2004 Banned
Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

Rabbit, Run, John Updike

Fawcett. Banned in Ireland in 1962 because the Irish Board of Censors
found the work “obscene” and “indecent,” objecting particularly to the
author’s handling of the characters’ sexuality, the “explicit sex acts”
and “promiscuity.” The work was officially banned from sales in Ireland
until the introduction of the revised Censorship Publications Bill in
1967. Restricted to high school students with parental permission in the
six Aroostock County, Maine community high school libraries (1976)
because of passages in the book dealing with sex and an extramarital
affair. Removed from the required reading list for English class at the
Medicine Bow, Wyo. Junior High School (1986) because of sexual
references and profanity in the book. Source: 5, p. 319-20; 8, Mar.
1977, p. 36; Mar. 1987, p.55.

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